BCG Daily Thursday 13th March 2014

Miranda Hart review

Hart's My What I Call Stand Up tour is cause for celebration, but some of her material is so old it needs carbon-dating.

Inside No. 9 - Why do the British love dark comedy?

Our love for dark, twisted humour is something unique to our national make-up in Britain. Here's 5 reasons we, as a nation, prefer the black stuff...

Stars gather to honour Sir David Frost

Leading figures from the world of politics and showbusiness have been remembering Sir David Frost at a memorial at Westminster Abbey.

Radio Times review

What's that, you say, a sitcom about an Irish family with an overbearing matriarch? Well, forget Mrs Brown's Boys, because writer Graham Linehan and Dublin comedy troupe Diet of Worms's take on the tropes of Irish family life is far more restrained.

We're introduced to the Walshes - "eejit" Dad (Niall Gaffney), smothering Mammy (Philippa Dunne), feckless son Rory (Rory Connolly) - as they prepare to invite desperate-to-flee-the-nest daughter Ciara's (Amy Stephenson) new, unassuming boyfriend Graham into their madhouse.

It's a traditional family sitcom full of comic misunderstandings, some wonderful moments of silliness and there's an affectionate charm in the playing, with Shane Langan particularly good as Graham - he has the look of a young Linehan about him.

Radio Times review

The team faces a formidable foe this week: they're locked and loaded to deal with the rats running around the base. Anyone with a fondness for the furry vermin will want to look away; it gets quite bloody. But it shows a previously unseen soft side to Rocket, who saves one of the rats as a pet.

Meanwhile, Nick is struggling to find somewhere quiet away from the squad to write up reports in peace. At times this feels like a meditation on the boredom of a war zone, until the enemy intrudes and there's some breathtakingly dark banter.

Kerry Godliman interview

A solo stand-up tour has been a long time coming for Kerry Godliman.

Jonathan Ross appointed to BFI Board

Jonathan Ross is one of three new members to be appointed to the BFI Governing Board.

Review: Inside No. 9, 1.6 - 'The Harrowing'

The Harrowing was a splendid half-hour of creepiness and rich atmosphere, punctured by occasional jokes and silly lines.

Have you been watching ... My Mad Fat Diary?

This E4 teen drama, currently in its second season, has appeal way beyond the characters' own demographic - full, as it is, of universal struggles in love, mental health and self-image.

Leicester's Just The Tonic club shuts

Leicester's Just The Tonic comedy club HAS shut its doors for good, despite owner Darrell Martin insisting just days ago that he was shutting for a brief 'refurb'.

Cilla Black and Paul O'Grady 'Led Astray' project axed

Paul O'Grady told The Sun: "We did a pilot but we didn't like the hours. I mean Cilla is 70. I'm 58 and I can't do it any more. You have to take that into consideration."

Who are Diet of Worms?

Say hello to the Irish comedy troupe starring in Graham Linehan's new BBC Four sitcom The Walshes - by watching their best work on YouTube.

How Inside No. 9 was talked about on Twitter

With the final episode of the series being aired last night, Inside No. 9 has created an entirely new genre of it's own with four of the six episodes producing near identical tweet patterns.

Hazel O'Keefe wins International Women's Day award

Hazel O'Keefe, founder all-female comedy club Laughing Cows, has won the 'Women in Culture and Art' prize at this year's International Women's Day Awards.

Andy Parsons: I've never really liked Mock The Week

Andy Parsons promotes the TV broadcast of his Slacktivist show. He admits he doesn't enjoy filming Mock The Week.

Interview with writer Andrew Marshall

Andrew Marshall has written more sitcom episodes than you could shake a suggestively-shaped stick at.